Tape printing control device and program

ABSTRACT

The number of lines of character strings to be printed on a cable label  11  is calculated (S 730 ) and line spacing is calculated so that the distance between the lines of the character strings of the calculated number of lines will be equalized (S 740 ). A print image rotated counterclockwise by 90 degrees is generated so that the character string will be in the width direction of the print tape  10  (S 750 ). Printing is executed (S 790 ) by successively arranging print images for the calculated number of lines while placing print images at both ends of the cable label  11  (S 760 ) and securing the calculated line spacing.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a tape printing control device and aprogram which are used for printing a character string on a tape-likeprint medium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tape printers, capable of printing a character string on a print tapemade of an adhesive print sheet (with an adhesive agent previouslyapplied on its back) and a releasable sheet which are bonded together tobe releasable, are well known. With a tape printer of this type, atitle, caption, etc. can be printed on the surface of a print sheet ofprint tape easily and beautifully. By peeling the releasable sheet awayfrom the print tape on which a desired character string, etc. have beenprinted, the print sheet can be used as a label which can be stuck onthe spine of a file, videotape, etc. Due to such high usability, tapeprinters are widely used for office use, home use, etc.

Meanwhile, with the progress of computers and network technologies ofrecent years, users in offices and homes are frequently experiencingsituations where numbers of plugs at ends of cables have to be pluggedinto numbers of sockets of a device. As a way to prevent faulty wiringin such cases, it is effective to put a label (with a character stringprinted thereon for identification) on each cable to be plugged into asocket. Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI06-247431 (pages5-7, FIG. 7) (hereinafter referred to as a “document #1”) has proposed atape printer which can set a necessary “wound part” in a label to bewound around a cable and print identical character strings (arranged inthe lengthwise direction of the print tape) on parts of the labeloutside the wound part. By winding the label (after being printed on bythe tape printer) around the cable while sticking its both endstogether, the user can more surely recognize a socket into which thecable should be plugged.

However, when such a label printed on by the tape printer of thedocument #1 is stuck on a cable, the part(s) printed with the characterstrings protrudes from the cable and that hampers the handling of thecable.

A tape printer that can avoid the above problem has been described inJapanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI06-320826 (pages 5-10,FIG. 14) (hereinafter referred to as a “document #2”). The tape printerof the document #2 is capable of printing a character string which hasbeen rotated from the lengthwise direction of the print tape by 90degrees, that is, the tape printer can print a character string in thewidth direction of the print tape. By cutting the print tape (printed onby the tape printer) in a length suitable for winding it around thecable, a cable identification label leaving no part protruding from thecable can be created.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

However, the tape printer described in the document #2 involves thefollowing problems. In the tape printer of the document #2, thecharacter string is printed generally on a front end part of the printtape in regard to the lengthwise direction of print tape and the labelis formed by cutting the printed tape in a proper length required by theuser. Therefore, when such a label is wound around a cable having aperimeter shorter than the length of the label starting from the frontend of the label printed with the character string, a margin at the rearend of the label can cover and conceal part of the character string atthe front end of the label, hampering the recognition of the characterstring. In such cases, the user is required to do complicated work suchas switching the starting end of label winding, recut the label in alength avoiding the concealment of the character string, etc.

With conventional tape printers, it is possible to set the printingposition or margin length so that the character string will not beconcealed when the label is wound around the cable. However, suchadjustment is very troublesome to users. Further, on the label createdwith the tape printer of the document #2, the character string isprinted at only one position and there are cases where the user seeingthe cable from the side opposite to the character string can not easilyrecognize the character string depending on the thickness of the cable,which is very inconvenient to the user.

It is of course possible to create a label printed with a plurality ofcharacter strings rotated 90 degrees from the lengthwise direction ofthe print tape by use of the tape printer of the document #2, bypressing the print key for a number of times, specifying printing of aplurality of labels, etc. When such a label is wound around a cable, atleast one of the character strings printed on the label can berecognized. However, such work requires much time and effort of theuser. Further, depending on the lengths of margins and the degree oftape feed operation, the character strings can be arranged lopsidedly inthe front part or rear part of the created label when the print tapeafter being printed with a plurality of character strings is cut in anecessary length. In such cases, labels having a very large margin(printed with no character string) are created. Such labels areundesirable for practical use.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide atape printing control device and a program realizing the creation of alabel ensuring visual recognition of a character string printed on thelabel when the label is wound around a cable-like member, irrespectiveof from which end the label is wound around the cable-like member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tape printingcontrol device and a program capable of creating a label that can berecognized easily from any direction when the label is wound around acable-like member while avoiding the lopsided printing of the characterstrings on the front part or rear part of the label.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tape printingcontrol device and a program with which a label having a length andwidth optimum for the winding around a cable-like member and achievingthe above objects can be created with ease.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provideda tape printing control device comprising character string storage meansfor storing a character string to be printed on a tape-like printmedium, print range storage means for storing a range on the tape-likeprint medium in which the character string will be printed, characterimage generation means for generating a character image in which thecharacter string stored in the character string storage means isarranged in a width direction of the tape-like print medium, and printcontrol means for controlling print position of each character image sothat the character image generated by the character image generationmeans will be printed at both ends of the range stored in the printrange storage means in regard to a lengthwise direction of the tape-likeprint medium.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a program that causes a computer to execute a character stringstorage step for storing a character string to be printed on a tape-likeprint medium, a print range storage step for storing a range on thetape-like print medium in which the character string will be printed, acharacter image generation step for generating a character image inwhich the character string stored by the character string storage stepis arranged in a width direction of the tape-like print medium, and aprint control step for controlling print position of each characterimage so that the character image generated by the character imagegeneration step will be printed at both ends of the range stored by theprint range storage step in regard to a lengthwise direction of thetape-like print medium.

By the tape printing control device and the program configured as above,a label, on which identical character strings (extending in the widthdirection of the print tape) are printed at both ends of the label inregard to the lengthwise direction of the print tape, can be created.With this label, the user can recognize the character string identifyingthe cable even when a front end part of the label wound around the cableis covered with a rear end part of the label. Therefore, an ideal cableidentification label, allowing the user to wind the label around acable, etc. without concern for the starting end of label winding, canbe created.

Incidentally, such a program can be distributed to computers by storingthe program in a removable record medium such as a CD-ROM, FD, MO, etc.or a fixed record medium such as a hard disk, or via a communicationnetwork such as the Internet by use of a wired/wirelesstelecommunication means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external view of a tape printer in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2(a) through 2(e) show examples of labels printed by the tapeprinter of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the composition of a control systeminside the tape printer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an overall process executed by the tapeprinter of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a print range settingexecuted by the tape printer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a print process executedby the tape printer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of normal printing executedby the tape printer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of rotated printing executedby the tape printer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of cable label printingexecuted by the tape printer of FIG. 1.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, a description will be given in detail ofa preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a tape printer 1 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the tapeprinter 1 has a display 2 and a keyboard 3 which are arranged in a frontpart of its top surface. In the rear part of the tape printer 1, a cover101 is formed to be openable and closable. Inside the cover 101 of thetape printer 1, an unshown cassette storage part having a printing head4 (see FIG. 3) is placed.

Print tape 10 (see FIG. 2(a)), as a record medium for the tape printer1, includes a print sheet as a long tape-like print medium (having aprint surface (on which characters, symbols, etc. are printed) on itsfront and an adhesive material layer on its back) and a releasable sheet(having a releasable surface processed with silicone resin, etc.) whichare stacked up to be releasable. The print tape 10 is rolled up andstored in a tape cassette.

The tape cassette is loaded in the tape printer 1 detachably. On alateral face of the tape cassette, a tape exposing part is formed inorder to expose the print tape 10 for printing. The print tape 10 insidethe tape printer 1 is pulled out from the tape cassette, printed on atthe tape exposing part, and ejected to outside. By releasing the printsheet away from the releasable sheet (of the print tape which has beenprinted on as above), the user can use the released sheet as a labelwhich can be stuck on an arbitrary object, article, etc.

Next, examples of labels obtained by the printing by the tape printer 1will be described referring to FIGS. 2(a) through 2(e).

The tape printer 1 is capable of printing on the print tape 10 invarious styles. The print styles include “normal printing”, “rotatedprinting” and “cable label printing”. In the “normal printing”, thecharacter string is arranged in the lengthwise direction of the printtape 10. In the “rotated printing”, the character string is arranged inthe width direction (orthogonal to the lengthwise direction) of theprint tape 10. In the “cable label printing”, a cable label suitable forbeing stuck on a cable (hereinafter referred to as a “cable label 11”)is created by repetitively printing a character string (arranged in thewidth direction of the print tape 10) at both ends of a print rangewhich has been set, or at both ends of the set print range and at evenintervals in the range between the ends.

FIGS. 2(a) through 2(f) show examples of labels printed by the tapeprinter 1. Specifically, FIGS. 2(a)-2(d) show examples of cable labels11 printed by the cable label printing, FIG. 2(e) shows an example of alabel printed by the normal printing, and FIG. 2(f) shows an example ofa label printed by the rotated printing. In this embodiment, cut marks12 (broken lines) are printed at both ends of the set print range in thelengthwise direction of the print tape 10, as marks indicating cuttingpositions.

As shown in FIGS. 2(a)-2(d), on the cable label 11, a character stringrotated counterclockwise from the lengthwise direction of the print tape10 by 90 degrees (to be arranged in the width direction of the printtape 10) is repetitively arrange in the lengthwise direction of theprint tape.

On the cable label 11 shown in FIG. 2(a), a character string “ABCD”rotated counterclockwise from the lengthwise direction of the print tape10 is printed at both ends of the set print range. On the cable label 11shown in FIG. 2(b), the character string “ABCD” rotated counterclockwisefrom the lengthwise direction of the print tape 10 is printed at bothends of the set print range and at even intervals between the ends. Onthe cable label 11 shown in FIG. 2(c), a print image composed of twolines of character strings “ABCD” and “1234” is printed at both ends ofthe set print range and at even intervals between the ends similarly tothe example of FIG. 2(b). It is also possible to print a characterstring composed of a plurality of lines (such as “ABCD” and “1234”) atboth ends of the set print range only, similarly to the example of FIG.2(a).

On the cable label 11 shown in FIG. 2(d), separate lines of thecharacter string composed of two lines “ABCD” and “1234” are printed atboth ends of the set print range and between the ends evenly. In otherwords, the character strings “ABCD” and “1234” are printed alternatelyat even intervals.

FIG. 2(e) shows a label obtained by the normal printing. In this case,the character strings “ABCD” as the object of printing is printed in thelengthwise direction of the print tape 10.

FIG. 2(f) shows a label obtained by the rotated printing. In this case,the character strings “ABCD” as the object of printing is printed in thewidth direction of the print tape 10.

When the label of FIG. 2(e) obtained by the normal printing is woundaround the cable so that the width direction of the label will be inparallel with the axial direction of the cable, the printed characterstring “ABCD” is arranged along a perimeter of the cable and thus it isdifficult for the user to recognize the whole character string.

When the label of FIG. 2(f) obtained by the rotated printing is woundaround the cable so that the width direction of the label will be inparallel with the axial direction of the cable, the printed characterstring “ABCD” can be concealed by a margin at the rear end of the labelwound around the cable, depending on the thickness of the cable. In suchcases, the user has to cut the rear end margin of the label in a properlength so as to avoid the concealment of the character string, or to setthe character string printing position at an end of the print range andtreat the end (printed with the character string) as the rear end of thelabel to be wound around the cable. Such work is very troublesome to theuser.

Meanwhile, when each label shown in FIGS. 2(a)-2(d) is wound around thecable so that the width direction of the label will be in parallel withthe axial direction of the cable, each character string printed on thecable label 11 is arranged in the axial direction of the cable and thusthe user can easily recognize the character string. Further, since bothends of the label are printed with the character string, the user cannecessarily recognize the character string regardless of which end ofthe label is wound around the cable first. Moreover, on the cable labels11 shown in FIGS. 2(b)-2(d), a plurality of character strings areprinted throughout the whole print range at even intervals, by which theuser can recognize the character string irrespective of the visual anglearound the cable, without the need of rotating the cable.

Next, the composition of the tape printer 1 will be described referringto FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the composition of acontrol system inside the tape printer 1. The tape printer 1 includesthe display 2, the keyboard (first perimeter input means, secondperimeter input means) 3, the printing head 4 and a control unit 6. Thedisplay 2 is implemented by a well-known liquid crystal display.

The keyboard 3 on the top surface of the tape printer 1 includes textkeys for inputting characters to be printed, cursor keys for moving acursor, function keys (print range setting key, print key, etc.) forcalling various functions of the tape printer 1, etc.

The printing head 4 is installed in the cassette storage part, at aposition corresponding to the tape exposing part formed on a lateralface of each tape cassette. On the printing head 4, a number of heatingelements electrically controlled by the control unit 6 are arranged inthe width direction of the print tape 10.

The control unit 6 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61, a ROM(Read Only Memory) 62, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 63, an interfaceunit 66 and a data bus 65. The CPU 61 executes calculations according tovarious commands. The ROM 62 stores programs for letting the CPU 61execute various processes shown in FIGS. 4 through 9 (programs forimplementing functional modules shown in FIG. 3), graphic data such asfont data of characters and pattern data of frames for decoratingprinted characters, and various data necessary for the execution of theprograms. The RAM 63 includes temporary storage areas (work area (printrange storage means), etc.) for storing data to be used by the CPU 61executing the programs.

The interface unit 66 electrically connects the control unit 6 withdevices as separate modules (the display 2, the keyboard 3 and theprinting head 4) directly or indirectly. The data bus 65 is a group ofdata transmission lines for electrically connecting the CPU 61, the ROM62, the RAM 63 and the interface unit 66 together. All the datatransmission in the control unit 6 is performed through the data bus 65.

Next, the functions of the tape printer 1 will be described. As shown inFIG. 3, the CPU 61 includes a print range setting module (print rangesetting means) 611, a character size determination module (charactersize determination means) 612, a character image generation module(character image generation means) 613, a print control module (printcontrol means) 614, a recommended width determination module(recommended width determination means) 615 and an informing module(informing means) 616.

The RAM 63 includes a character string storage module (character stringstorage means) 631. The character string storage module 631 storescharacter data of each character of the character string (as the objectof printing) inputted by the user through the keyboard 3. The characterdata include text codes corresponding to font data stored in the ROM 62and data determining character decoration, character size, etc.

The print range setting module 611 sets the print range (indicating anarea in which the character string stored in the character stringstorage module 631 can be printed) according to specification by theuser. Concretely, the print range setting module 611 sets an areaspecified by a label length (the length of the label to be created inthe lengthwise direction of the print tape 10) and a label width (thewidth of the print tape) as the print range. The specification of theprint range by the user may either be direct specification of the labellength or specification of the external diameter of a cable-like member(around which a label such as the cable label 11 is wound to be stuckthereon). When the external diameter of the cable-like member isspecified, the print range setting module 611 calculates the perimeterof the cable-like member from the specified diameter and sets the printrange based on the calculated perimeter. When the user does not specifythe print range, a preset default value may be used.

The character size determination module 612 adjusts the character sizeof the character string as the object of printing so that a print imagegenerated by the character image generation module 613 will beaccommodated in the print range set by the print range setting module611.

The character image generation module 613 generates a print image of thecharacter string (stored in the character string storage module 631 tobe printed on the print tape 10) rotated counterclockwise from thelengthwise direction of the print tape by 90 degrees (i.e. a print imagein which the characters are arranged in the width direction of the printtape). Incidentally, “to generate a print image” means spreading dotpattern data (corresponding to actual print status) in the work area ofthe RAM 63 based on the text data of the character string, the charactersize which has been set, the font shape, the presence/absence of linedecoration such as the character decoration (boldface, oblique face,etc.) and frames.

The print control module 614 controls printing operation of the tapeprinter 1. In the creation of the cable label 11, the print controlmodule 614 executes print control so that the print image generated bythe character image generation module 613 will be printed at both endsof the set print range in the lengthwise direction of the print tape. Orthe print control module 614 executes the print control so that thecharacter string will be printed at both ends of the print range andfurther the same character string will be printed repetitively betweenthe character strings (at both ends) at even intervals. The number ofprint images to be printed on the cable label 11 may either be directlyspecified by the user or calculated based on line spacing specified bythe user, the height and the number of lines of the character string tobe printed, and the print range which has been set.

In the creation of the cable label 11, if the external diameter of thecable has been inputted, the recommended width determination module 615determines a recommended width of a print tape that is suitable forbeing stuck on the cable having the external diameter. For example, whenthe diameter of the cable is small, sticking a too wide cable label 11on the cable causes too high flexural rigidity of the part wound withthe cable label 11, hampering the handling and wiring of the cable. Onthe other hand, if a cable label 11 of a too small tape width is used,adhesive area of the cable label 11 becomes too small and the cablelabel tends to come off when the cable having a small external diameterbends. Specifically, the recommended width determination module 615obtains the print tape width to be recommended by referring to a datatable stored in the ROM 62 indicating the correspondence between cableexternal diameters and tape widths suitable for the cable label 11.

The informing module 616 executes display control to display the tapewidth recommended by the recommended width determination module 615 onthe display 2.

Next, processes to be executed by the tape printer 1 of this embodimentwill be described referring to FIGS. 4 through 9. The processes shown inFIGS. 4 through 9 are carried out under the control by the CPU 61.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an overall process to be executed by thetape printer 1.

The process of FIG. 4 is started when the power of the tape printer 1 isturned on. First, in a step Silo (hereinafter abbreviated as “S110”,ditto for the following steps), the whole tape printer 1 is initialized.Specifically, the operation check and initialization of the CPU 61, theRAM 63 and the interface 66, the operation check of the display 2 andthe printing head 4 connected to the interface 66, and theinitialization of hardware are carried out. If no abnormality is foundin the operation check of each component, the data to be stored in theRAM 63 and each functional module are initialized. After the operationcheck and initialization is finished, the CPU 61 displays an operationscreen on the display 2. Thereafter, the process advances to S120.

In S120, the CPU 61 waits for a key input by the user. The user caninput a character string and operate the tape printer 1 by making keyinputs through the keyboard 3 while seeing a screen displayed on thedisplay 2. The tape printer 1 after the initialization stays on standbyin a state allowing the input of character string, in which the user caninput the character string (the object of printing) by pressing the textkeys arranged on the keyboard 3. Even in the input standby state, theuser can call various functions by pressing function keys such as aprint key. When a key is pressed by the user, the CPU 61 stores a keycode corresponding to the pressed key in the work area of the RAM 63.Next, the process advances to S130.

In S130, whether the key pressed in S120 is a text key is judged basedon the key code corresponding to the key. If the key is a text key(S130: YES), the process advances to S140 and a text input process isexecuted. The text input process means a process for obtaining a textcode corresponding to the key code stored in S120 and storing the textcode in the character string storage module 631 as the character data.After the text input process (S140) is finished, the process returns toS120 and the CPU 61 waits for a key input by the user.

If the key pressed in S120 is not a text key in S130 (S130: NO), theprocess advances to S150 and the CPU 61 judges whether the key pressedin S120 is the print range setting key. If the key is the print rangesetting key (S150: YES), the process advances to S160 and the CPU 61executes a print range setting (FIG. 5). The print range setting (FIG.5) is a process to be executed by the print range setting module 611 ofthe CPU 61, in which the print range of the character string (as theobject of printing) stored in the character string storage module 631 isset. After the print range setting is finished, the process returns toS120 and the CPU 61 waits for a key input by the user.

If the key pressed in S120 is not the print range setting key in S150(S150: NO), the process advances to S170 and the CPU 61 judges whetherthe key is the print key. If the key is the print key (S170: YES), theprocess advances to S180 and the CPU 61 executes a print format setting.

Here, the contents of the print format setting will be explained. Theprint format setting includes settings of the format of the characterstring in the printing, style or appearance as printed matter, etc.

The styles as printed matter set by the print format setting include thenormal printing, the rotated printing and the cable label printing. Theuser selects and sets a desired style out of the above styles. When theuser has selected the cable label printing, a setting is made furtherregarding the number of lines of character strings to be printed on thecable label 11 or the distance between character strings. When the userhopes to create the cable label 11 shown in FIG. 2(a), the number oflines is set to “2”.

When the character string to be printed extends for two or more lines inthe cable label printing, a setting is made further regarding whether totreat each line of the character string as one character string. Forexample, when the character string stored in the character stringstorage module 631 is one extending for two lines including “ABCD”,“1234” and a line feed between them, if the setting is made to treat thewhole character string of two lines as one character string, theprinting is carried out as in the cable label 11 shown in FIG. 2(c). Onthe other hand, if the setting is made to treat each line of thecharacter string as one character string, the cable label 11 shown inFIG. 2(d) is created.

After the print format setting (S180) is finished, the process advancesto S190 and a print process (FIG. 6) is executed. After the printprocess (S190) is finished, the process returns to S120 and the CPU 61waits for a key input by the user.

If the key pressed in S120 is not the print key in S170 (S170: NO), theprocess advances to S200 and the CPU 61 executes other processes. The“other processes” include processes corresponding to functions keysother than the print key, processes corresponding to the cursor keys,etc. After the “other processes” (S200) are finished, the processreturns to S120 and the CPU 61 waits for a key input by the user.

The procedure of the print range setting to be executed in S160 of FIG.4 will be explained below referring to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchartshowing the procedure of the print range setting. As mentioned above,when the object of application of the label is a cable-like member, theprint range can be set either by inputting the label length or byinputting the external diameter of the cable-like member. First, inS310, whether the way of print range setting is inputting the externaldiameter is judged. If the print range setting is not by the externaldiameter input (S310: NO), the process advances to S320 and the printrange is inputted by the user in terms of the label length.

In the next S330, whether the inputted print range is a proper range isjudged. Whether the print range is proper is judged based on whether thevalue of the inputted print range is between minimum and maximum valuesof the print range. The minimum and maximum values of the print rangemay be preset to the tape printer 1 as specifications. In cases wherethe tape printer 1 is provided with a mechanism for detecting the typeof the print tape 10, the minimum and maximum values of the print rangemay be automatically determined by the tape printer 1 according to thedetected tape type. If the inputted print range is improper (S330: NO),the process returns to S320 and an input of print range by the user iswaited for. If the print range is proper (S330: YES), the processadvances to S340 and the inputted print range is spread in the work areaof the RAM 63. Thereafter, the print range setting of FIG. 5 is endedand the process returns to S120 of FIG. 4.

If the way of print range setting is inputting the external diameter inS310 (S310: YES), the process advances to S350 and the external diameterof the cable-like member on which the cable label 11 should be appliedis inputted by the user.

In the next S360, the print range is calculated based on the inputtedexternal diameter. The print range is obtained in this step as the sumof a perimeter calculated from the external diameter of the cable-likemember inputted in S350 and the length of an overlapping part (a rearend part of the label overlapping with a front end part of the label) ofthe label wound around the cable-like member. In short, the calculatedprint range corresponds to the label length. Subsequently, the processadvances to S370 and whether the print range is proper is judged. Thejudgment on the propriety of print range in S370 is made similarly tothe judgment in S330. If the print range is improper (S370: NO), theprocess returns to S350 and the CPU 61 waits for an input of theexternal diameter by the user. If the print range is proper (S370: YES),the process advances to S380.

In step S380, a print tape width optimum for the application on thecable-like member having the inputted external diameter is figured outby the recommended width determination module 615 of the CPU 61. In thenext S390, the tape width figured out by the recommended widthdetermination module 615 is displayed on the display 2 by the informingmodule 616 as a recommended tape width, that is, the user is informed ofthe recommended tape width. Subsequently, the process advances to S340and the print range is spread in the work area of the RAM 63.Thereafter, the process returns to S120 of FIG. 4.

Next, the procedure of the print process to be executed in S190 of FIG.4 will be explained below referring to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchartshowing the procedure of the print process. First, in S401, whether theprint range has already been set by the user in the print range setting(S160 in FIG. 4) is judged. If the print range has not been set yet(S401:NO), the process advances to S410. If the print range has alreadybeen set (S401: YES), the process advances to S402 and the CPU 61further judges whether the printing is possible within the set printrange. If the printing is possible (S402: YES), the process advances toS410. If the printing is impossible (S402: NO), the CPU 61 displays analarm message on the display 2 (S403). Thereafter, the print process(FIG. 6) is ended and the process returns to S120 of FIG. 4.

In S410, whether the print style set in the print format setting (S180of FIG. 4) is the normal printing is judged. If the set print style isthe normal printing (S410: YES), the process advances to S420 and anormal printing process (FIG. 7) is executed. When the normal printingprocess (FIG. 7) is finished, the print process of FIG. 6 is ended andthe process returns to S120 of FIG. 4.

If the set print style is not the normal printing in S410 (S410: NO),the process advances to S430 and whether the set print style is therotated printing is judged. If the set print style is the rotatedprinting (S430: YES), the process advances to S440 and a rotatedprinting process (FIG. 8) is executed. Thereafter, the print process ofFIG. 6 is ended and the process returns to S120 of FIG. 4.

If the set print style is not the rotated printing in S430 (S430: NO),the process advances to S450 and a cable label printing process (FIG. 9)is executed. Thereafter, the print process of FIG. 6 is ended and theprocess returns to S120 of FIG. 4.

Next, the procedure of the normal printing to be executed in S420 ofFIG. 6 will be explained below referring to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is aflowchart showing the procedure of the normal printing. First, in S510,a print image is generated according to the settings made in the printformat setting (S180 of FIG. 4). In this step, the character size of thecharacter string is adjusted by the character size determination module612 so that the generated print image will fit in the print range.

In the next S520, whether the print range has been set by the printrange setting module 611 is judged. If the print range has been set(S520: YES), the process advances to S530 and the CPU 61 adds blankareas (in which nothing is printed) on both sides of the print image inthe lengthwise direction of the print tape 10 so as to place the printimage at the center of the print range. In the next S540, the printingis carried out.

If no print range has been set (S520: NO), the process advances to S540and the generated print image is printed just as it is, by which thenormal printing process of FIG. 7 is ended.

Next, the procedure of the rotated printing to be executed in S440 ofFIG. 6 will be explained below referring to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is aflowchart showing the procedure of the rotated printing. First, in S610,a print image of the character string (object of printing) rotatedcounterclockwise from the lengthwise direction of the print tape 10 by90 degrees is generated by the character image generation module 613 soas to arrange the character string in the width direction of the printtape 10, according to the settings made in the print format setting(S180 of FIG. 4). In this step, the character size of the characterstring is adjusted by the character size determination module 612 sothat the generated print image will fit in the print range.

In the next S620, whether the print range has been set by the printrange setting module 611 is judged. If the print range has been set(S620: YES), the process advances to S630 and the CPU 61 adds blankareas (in which nothing is printed) on both sides of the print image inthe lengthwise direction of the print tape 10 so as to place the printimage at the center of the print range. In the next S640, the printingis carried out.

If no print range has been set (S620: NO), the process advances to S640and the generated print image is printed just as it is, by which therotated printing process of FIG. 8 is ended.

Next, the procedure of the cable label printing to be executed in S450of FIG. 6 will be explained below referring to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is aflowchart showing the procedure of the cable label printing. First, inS710, whether the print range has been set by the print range settingmodule 611 is judged. The cable label printing requires the print rangeto have been set since the label length is fixed. If no print range hasbeen set (S710: NO), an alarm message (indicating that the print rangeis necessary) is displayed on the display 2 (S720) and the cable labelprinting process of FIG. 9 is ended.

If the print range has been set in S710 (S710: YES), the processadvances to S730 and the number of lines of the character string to beprinted on the cable label is calculated. The calculation of the numberof lines is performed based on the settings made in the print formatsetting (S180 of FIG. 4). Specifically, in the case where the number ofcharacter strings to be printed on the cable label 11 has been set, whenthe inputted character string is within a line, the set number ofcharacter strings is regarded as the number of lines as the result ofcalculation of S730. Even when the inputted character string extends fortwo or more lines, if a setting has been made to treat the wholecharacter string of two or more lines as one line, the set number ofcharacter strings is regarded as the number of lines as the result ofcalculation of S730. On the other hand, even in this case (where theinputted character string extends for two or more lines), if a settinghas been made to treat each line of the character string of two or morelines as one line, the set number of character strings multiplied by thenumber of lines of the inputted character string is regarded as thenumber of lines as the result of calculation of S730.

In the case where the distance between character strings to be printedon the cable label 11 (line spacing) has been set, the number of linesis figured out so that the character string will be arranged at bothends of the cable label 11 in the lengthwise direction of the print tapeand at even intervals between the character strings at both ends, basedon the label length set by the print range setting module 611 as theprint range, the distance between character strings (line spacing) andthe height of the character string. Also in this case, there are twotreatments when the inputted character string extends for two or morelines, as mentioned above. Incidentally, when all the conditions (thelabel length set by the print range setting module 611 as the printrange, the distance between character strings and the height of thecharacter string) have been set, there are cases where the request ofarranging the character string at both ends of the print range in thelengthwise direction of the print tape and at even intervals between thecharacter strings at both ends can not be met perfectly. In such cases,the print control module 614 copes with the situation by slightlychanging the label length, the line spacing or the character stringheight, by shifting the positions of the character strings arranged atboth ends, or by properly combining the methods according to priority.Such slight modification gives no feeling of visual strangeness to theuser in most cases. After the calculation of the number of lines isfinished, the process advances to S740.

In S740, the line spacing for each character string to be printed on thecable label is calculated. The calculation of the line spacing isperformed based on the settings made in the print format setting (S180of FIG. 4). Specifically, in the case where each line spacing in theprinting on the cable label 11 has already been set, the set value isused as it is. In the case where the number of character strings to beprinted on the cable label 11 has been set, the line spacing is figuredout so that the character string will be arranged at both ends of thecable label 11 in the lengthwise direction of the print tape and at evenintervals between the character strings at both ends, based on the labellength set by the print range setting module 611 as the print range, thenumber of lines calculated in S730 and the height of the characterstring. When a fraction occurs in the calculation of the line spacing,adjustment is made by distributing the fraction to some of the spaces.The adjustment causes almost no change in visual effect even though theline spacing is not strictly even. After the calculation of the linespacing is finished, the process advances to S750.

In S750, a print image of the character string to be printed, rotatedcounterclockwise by 90 degrees to be arranged in the width direction ofthe print tape, is generated by the character image generation module613 according to the settings made in the print format setting (S180 ofFIG. 4). Incidentally, if the setting for treating each line of thecharacter string to be printed (extending for two or more lines) as onecharacter string has been made, print images are generated successivelyfor each line of the character string. In this step, the character sizeof the character string is adjusted by the character size determinationmodule 612 so that the generated print image will fit in the printrange.

In the next S760, the print images generated by the print control module614 in S750 are successively arranged in the lengthwise direction of theprint tape starting from the edge of the print range. Thereafter, theprocess advances to S770 and whether the arrangement has been finishedfor the number of lines calculated in S730 is judged. If the arrangementhas not been finished yet (S770: NO), the process advances to S780 andthe line spacing calculated in S740 is secured and the process returnsto S760 for arranging a print image. The last character string in thiscase (where the print images are arranged for the number of linescalculated in S730 while securing the line spacing calculated in S740)is placed at an edge of the print range opposite to the edge where thefirst print image has been placed. When the arrangement is finished(S770: YES), the process advances to S790 and the printing is carriedout (S790). In the printing (S790), a cut line 12 parallel to the widthdirection of the print tape, indicating the edge of the cable label 11,is also printed. Thereafter, the cable label printing process of FIG. 9is ended.

By executing the above procedures, cable labels 11 shown in FIGS.2(a)-2(d) suitable for being stuck on cable-like members, a normalprinting label shown in FIG. 2(e) in which the character string isarranged in the lengthwise direction of the print tape, and a rotatedprinting label shown in FIG. 2(f) in which the character string isarranged in the width direction of the print tape can be obtained.

In this embodiment, the label length suitable for the application of thecable label 11 can be set only by inputting the cable diameter of acable on which the cable label will be stuck, by which the user isreleased from the trouble of calculating the label length of the cablelabel. Further, even when the character size set by the user can notaccommodate the character string in the print range, the character sizeis automatically adjusted to fit the character string in the printrange, by which the creation of cable labels 11 is facilitated.

While the above description has been given of a preferred embodiment inaccordance with the present invention, the present invention is not tobe restricted by the above particular illustrative embodiment. Variousmodifications, design changes, etc. can be made to the embodimentwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the present inventiondescribed in the appended claims. For example, while the rotation of thecharacter string is restricted to the 90-degree counterclockwiserotation with respect to the print tape 10 in the above embodiment, itis possible to allow rotation of any desired angle.

While the cut line 12 indicating the edge of the cable label 11 isprinted in the cable label printing in the above embodiment, it is alsopossible to provide an automatic cutter to the tape printer 1 to cut thecable label at its both ends.

While the spacing between character strings to be printed on the cablelabel 11 is controlled to be even by the print control module 614 in theabove embodiment, the spacing between character strings does notnecessarily have to be even, that is, the spacing between characterstrings may also be uneven within an extent avoiding a feeling of visualstrangeness to the user.

While the size of the print image is adjusted by the adjustment of thecharacter size by the character size determination module 612 in theabove embodiment, the size adjustment of the print image may also bemade by adjusting character spacing in the character string to beprinted. Or the adjustment of the print image may also be performed bydirectly compressing the print image.

While the data stored in the character string storage module 631 (thatis, the data as the object of printing) are text data in the aboveembodiment, the data as the object of printing are not restricted totext data. For example, the data as the object of printing may also becodes corresponding to image data stored separately from the characterstring storage module 631, or the image data themselves.

While the tape printer 1 in the above embodiment is a device of astand-alone type having the control unit 6 incorporated in the tapeprinter 1, the present invention is not restricted to the stand-alonetype. For example, part or all of the functions of the control unit 6may also be implemented by a personal computer which is connected to thetape printer 1 via an interface.

The character size of the character image generated by the characterimage generation module 613 may also be determined by the character sizedetermination module 612 based on at least one selected from the numberof characters of the character string stored in the character stringstorage module 631, the number of lines of the character string storedin the character string storage module 631, the size of the print range,the external diameter of the cable-like member, and the width of thetape-like print medium, by which character strings can be printed onlabels in appropriate sizes.

The procedure of each process described in the above embodiment can beimplemented by a program which is executed by a computer. Such a programcan be stored in record media of various types (flexible discs, CD-ROMs,etc.) in a format readable and executable by a computer.

It is to be appreciated that the above description of the embodiment hasbeen given by way of illustration and the present invention is not to berestricted by the particular illustrative embodiment but to beunderstood based on the description of the appended claims.

1. A tape printing control device comprising: a character string memorywhich stores a character string to be printed on a tape-like printmedium; a print range memory which stores a print range on the tape-likeprint medium in which the character string will be printed; a characterimage generator which generates a character image in which the characterstring stored in the character string memory is arranged in a widthdirection of the tape-like print medium; and a print controller whichcontrols print position of each character image so that the characterimage generated by the character image generator will be printed at bothends of the print range stored in the print range memory in regard to alengthwise direction of the tape-like print medium.
 2. The tape printingcontrol device according to claim 1, wherein the print controllercontrols the print position of each character image so that thecharacter image generated by the character image generator will beprinted at both ends of the print range stored in the print range memoryin regard to the lengthwise direction of the tape-like print medium andbetween the ends so as to equalize distances between the characterimages.
 3. The tape printing control device according to claim 1,further comprising a setting system that sets at least one of the numberof the character strings to be arranged in the print range stored in theprint range memory and spacing between the character strings, whereinthe print controller controls the print position so that the characterimage will be arranged in both end parts of the print range and betweenthe end parts evenly based on at least one of the number of thecharacter strings and the spacing between the character strings set bythe setting system.
 4. The tape printing control device according toclaim 1, wherein when a character string extending for two or more lineshas been stored in the character string memory, the character imagegenerator generates the character image treating the character string oftwo or more lines as one image.
 5. The tape printing control deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a first external diameterinput system through which an external diameter of a cable-like membercan be inputted; and a print range setting system which sets the printrange stored in the print range memory based on the external diameterinputted through the first external diameter input means.
 6. The tapeprinting control device according to claim 5, wherein the printcontroller determines the distance between the character images based onthe external diameter inputted through the first external diameter inputsystem.
 7. The tape printing control device according to claim 1,further comprising a character size determination system for determiningcharacter size of the character image generated by the character imagegenerator based on at least one selected from the number of charactersof the character string stored in the character string memory, thenumber of lines of the character string stored in the character stringmemory, size of the print range stored in the print range memory, anexternal diameter of a cable-like member, and a width of the tape-likeprint medium.
 8. The tape printing control device according to claim 1,further comprising: a second external diameter input system throughwhich an external diameter of a cable-like member can be inputted; and arecommended width determination system for determining a recommendedwidth of the tape-like print medium to be wound around the cable-likemember based on the external diameter inputted through the secondexternal diameter input system; and an informing system for informing auser of the recommended width determined by the recommended widthdetermination system.
 9. The tape printing control device according toclaim 1, wherein the print controller executes print control so that cutmarks as marks indicating cutting positions will be printed at both endsof the print range stored in the print range memory in regard to thelengthwise direction of the tape-like print medium.
 10. A computerprogram product comprising computer-readable instructions that cause acomputer to execute: a character string storage step of storing acharacter string to be printed on a tape-like print medium; a printrange storage step of storing a print range on the tape-like printmedium in which the character string will be printed; a character imagegeneration step of generating a character image in which the characterstring stored by the character string storage step is arranged in awidth direction of the tape-like print medium; and a print control stepof controlling print position of each character image so that thecharacter image generated by the character image generation step will beprinted at both ends of the print range stored by the print rangestorage step in regard to a lengthwise direction of the tape-like printmedium.
 11. The computer program product according to claim 10, whereinthe print control step controls the print position of each characterimage so that the character image generated by the character imagegeneration step will be printed at both ends of the print range storedby the print range storage step in regard to the lengthwise direction ofthe tape-like print medium and between the ends so as to equalizedistances between the character images.
 12. The computer program productaccording to claim 10, further comprising computer-readable instructionsthat cause the computer to execute a setting step of setting at leastone of the number of the character strings to be arranged in the printrange stored by the print range storage step and spacing between thecharacter strings, wherein the print control step controls the printposition so that the character image will be arranged in both end partsof the print range and between the end parts evenly based on at leastone of the number of the character strings and the spacing between thecharacter strings set by the setting step.
 13. The computer programproduct according to claim 10, wherein when a character string extendingfor two or more lines has been stored by the character string storagestep, the character image generation step generates the character imagetreating the character string of two or more lines as one image.
 14. Theprogram according to claim 10, further comprising computer-readableinstructions that cause the computer to execute a print range settingstep for setting the print range stored by the print range storage stepbased on an inputted external diameter of a cable-like member.
 15. Thecomputer program product according to claim 14, wherein the printcontrol step determines the distance between the character images basedon the inputted external diameter of the cable-like member.
 16. Thecomputer program product according to claim 10, further comprisingcomputer-readable instructions that cause the computer to execute acharacter size determination step of determining character size of thecharacter image generated by the character image generation step basedon at least one selected from the number of characters of the characterstring stored by the character string storage step, the number of linesof the character string stored by the character string storage step,size of the print range stored by the print range storage step, anexternal diameter of a cable-like member, and a width of the tape-likeprint medium.
 17. The computer program product according to claim 10,further comprising computer-readable instructions that cause thecomputer to execute: a recommended width determination step ofdetermining a recommended width of the tape-like print medium to bewound around a cable-like member based on an inputted external diameterof the cable-like member; and an informing step of informing a user ofthe recommended width determined by the recommended width determinationstep.
 18. The computer program product according to claim 10, whereinthe print control step executes print control so that cut marks as marksindicating cutting positions will be printed at both ends of the printrange stored by the print range storage step in regard to the lengthwisedirection of the tape-like print medium.
 19. The tape printing controldevice according to claim 2, further comprising: first external diameterinput means through which an external diameter of a cable-like membercan be inputted; and print range setting means for setting the printrange stored in the print range storage means based on the externaldiameter inputted through the first external diameter input means. 20.The program according to claim 11, further causing the computer toexecute a print range setting step for setting the print range stored bythe print range storage step based on an inputted external diameter of acable-like member.